Over 1990–2017 all regions and human development groups have made substantial progress. The global HDI value in 2017 was 0.728, up about 21.7 percent from 0.598 in 1990. Across the world, people are living longer, are more educated and have greater livelihood opportunities.The average lifespan is seven years longer than it was in 1990, and more than 130 countries have universal enrolment in primary education.

South Asia was the fastest growing region, at 45.3 percent, followed by East Asia and the Pacific at 41.8 percent and SubSaharan Africa at 34.9 percent. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, by contrast, grew 14.0 percent. The trends hold promise for reducing gaps in human development across regions.